Playing Nice
by Chrissie Lindsay
Summary: They've been fighting since before they can remember, but they owe it to their friends to be civil. Cut from the same cloth, they'd burn too bright to survive; that's what they tell themselves. But try though she might, Marlene can't explain the way she and Sirius can't steer clear of each other, drawn closer and fighting like crazy.
1. Chapter 1

"You're pathetic, Marlene McKinnon," she whispered to her reflection. She'd been standing by the mirror for a good ten minutes now, braiding ad unbraiding her long blonde hair, trying to find a way to make it flattering. _What do I care what it looks like; it's not like I'm doing this for him. I'm going…as a favor. A courtesy to Lily and James. I don't want to embarrass them…_ "Sirius Black has nothing to do with this," she said outloud, trying to convince herself.

"Did you say something, Marls?" Lily's voice floated around the corner and a moment later, the redhead's face appeared.

"What? Oh, um, nothing." Marlene turned from the mirror and wrinkled her nose at the sight of her friend. "I kind of hate you right now for making me do this…" she smiled as she said it though, it wasn't like anyone could ever hate Lily Evans. The girl was practically perfect, but in the almost-annoying way where you couldn't hold it against her.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Lily breezed into the room, gracefully perching on the edge of Marlene's bed and regarding her by the mirror. She hesitated. "Do you really not want to go? Because I could tell James—"

"Of course I want to go!" To her own ears, the words sounded too cheery, spoken to quickly, but accompanied by a practiced smile, they made Lily relax. Marlene wasn't about to say that a double date with Lily and James was the last way she wanted to spend the Hogsmeade day trip. She went over and sat next to Lily on the bed. "You and James will be adorable and have an amazing time, Black and I will try not to kill each other…it'll be great," she said, only half kidding.

Lily giggled. "Oh it's not _that_ bad between the two of you."

_Oh Lils. Always thinking the best of people until they prove you wrong. It's precious_. But she smiled. "No, of course not. And if things go south, hey it'll be a good story to tell."

Lily reached over and hugged her. "You're the best Marls. I know you and Sirius don't get along super well, but he really is a nice guy once you get past…I mean, he's super sweet when he…"

Marlene arched an eyebrow when Lily trailed off.

"Well you guys would look really well together!" Lily burst in frustration.

Marlene rolled her eyes but hugged her friend back. "Of course, Lily." _Yes because two people look really well together when they can't stand each other's presence. When they spend their spare time thinking of new insults and witticisms to throw at each other. When the only, the only, reason they tolerate the other is because their best friends happen to be dating. And neither of us can really figure out how that happened. So we smile and play nice because neither you nor James could understand if we didn't. _

Lily sighed happily. "You know, this is how I always pictured seventh year."

"How?" For all of Lily's naïveté, it was refreshing to hear her happy picture of life. Oh she'd been through a lot, Marlene knew that. She'd go through a lot more, they all would. But right now—last year of Hogwarts, head girl, dating the star quidditch player—it was easy to see why life had a rosy tint to it.

Lily shrugged. "Happy. Like it's all working out."

"It's a nice thought, isn't it?" Marlene asked quietly.

"And we always said we'd go on double dates," Lily grinned, "And now here we are!"

"Yes…here we are," Marlene winced inwardly as the words came out with far less enthusiasm than she'd hoped.

Lily pulled back to consider her friend. "You're sure you're okay with this? I mean I know you and Sirius aren't exactly friends, but James and I thought that…well he's James' best friends and you're mine and you both are so alike and I really think you could get along famously…Oh don't look at me like that, Marlene McKinnon! You just don't see it because you've spent the last few years determinedly despising the guy."

Marlene inclined her head, that much was true. "How are we alike, exactly?" she asked, slightly curious. As far as she could see, the similarities between her and Black stopped with their pure-blood heritage.

Lily gaped at Marlene. "Do you really not see it?" She counted on her fingers like she'd had this list memorized for quite some time. "You're both proud—the good kind of pride mind you, not necessarily, although sometimes you are, arrogant—you're both intelligent but don't really try that hard, you're both _gorgeous_—"

Marlene's laugh interrupted Lily. "Don't let James hear you say that." She paused. "You've actually thought about this quite a bit, haven't you?"

"I wouldn't say 'quite a bit'…" She pursed her lips then caved. "Okay well James and I are just so happy and we both want the same for the two of you!" she burst.

"I know. And I appreciate it, I'm sure he does too. It's just…our 'happy' might not be with each other, you know? Maybe you're right; we are alike. But we may be too alike…I don't think we'll work out the way you want us to. But," she added quickly, seeing Lily's crestfallen expression. "We'll have fun today. We've…come to an understanding."

By that she meant that they would both be civil, for Lily's and James' sake. When James had suggested the double date, and Lily had literally squealed in delight, her eyes had flown to Black's and in that instant, they understood. They would be civil. They would laugh when the other said something funny, dutifully sit next to each other, bite back the quick retorts and lie when the other two asked them if they were having fun. They'd smile and say they had had an amazing time. But in the back of their minds they'd be thinking the same thing: that they were doing this for their best friend, no more. The history between her and Black was too complicated, too…murky for anything else.

Lily smiled. "That's good. I think we'll have a good time today."

"We will." Marlene smiled and was relieved when Lily believed the mask. She and Black had been getting better at this, hiding what they were actually feeling to appease Lily and James. Where the two of them saw a trivial misunderstanding, she knew there was deep-seated resentment. When James saw playful banter, Black saw deliberately delivered insults. When Lily saw awkwardness and inevitable tension, Marlene saw irreparable disdain and an impossibility of communication. But they laughed off each other's barbs when Lily and James were watching closely, pretending that their dislike was only surface deep and the other two believed it.

Lily was the first to shake herself out of the silence the two of them lapsed into. "Oh my gosh, I bet the guys are waiting for us downstairs. Are you ready?"

To go and play nice with Black? Ha. "Yeah! Let's go," Marlene said brightly, trying to find a way to explain the way her heart leapt to her throat. _This is Black, Marlene. Black who lives to make you miserable, Black who you've never gotten along with, Black who despises you almost as much as you do him. Do NOT check the mirror again…_

Lily left the room, and Marlene let the smile slip from her face. This was going to draining. She tried not to let the way she so quickly slipped into peppy-Marlene around Lily bother her, but the smile immediately brightened her face when Lily's head poked back through the door.

"By the way, you look really cute today," Lily grinned excitedly, "He's going notice, you know." With another excited squeal she ducked out again and Marlene regarded herself in the mirror.

"You're pathetic, McKinnon," she muttered again, and with one last look at her reflection, followed Lily out.


	2. Chapter 2

James looked sideways at his friend, and tried not to chuckle. "If I didn't know better, Padfoot, I'd think you were nervous," He said lightly, curious. The way Sirius' gaze snapped from the window he'd been fixatedly staring out of and his eyes narrowed when they met James' confirmed his suspicions.

A moment later, his face was wiped clean, and then the signature Black smirk graced his figures. "You've been listening too much to your girl, Potter," he muttered, elbowing James, who did laugh this time.

"Please. Like Lily could at all effect how your mind works," he paused, trying to read his friend. Sirius had a habit of hiding his emotions; close to no one could catch on to his actual thought process. James figured that was probably why he and Marlene clashed so violently, she had been able to see beyond the mask within moments of the two's first meeting. He knew it unnerved Sirius, but he also knew it intrigued him—why else would he constantly bait the poor girl? He had to admit, their battles of wits were always amusing, at least to start. Then one of them would get caught up, say something just to win, and the other would retreat, pretending it hadn't hurt. That was how their first exchange had gone, as had every one since then. He coughed, bringing his thoughts back to the present. "Listen, if you really don't want to do this, we can…I don't know, talk to Lily or something," he finished lamely.

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "Are you kidding, she's been planning this for weeks." James didn't look terribly convinced so he added, "It won't be awful; we'll behave. We'll, em, try to have fun."

"I'm sure. Especially with that attitude," James said drily. "Does 'behave' mean you'll be civil or you'll make an effort?"

Sirius snorted. "An effort? Don't tell me you actually expect this to go somewhere. Look, Prongs, I'm happy for you and the Evans girl—"

"Lily." James interrupted and Sirius inclined his head, gracefully accepting the correction.

"Um, yeah, you and Lily. But that doesn't mean I want to get with her best friend. I think we both know this is a favor we're both doing the pair of you, neither McKinnon or I would ever go on this of our own accord. I mean," he snorted, "Have you seen her?"

"Lily," James said quietly, and Sirius frowned.

"No, McKinnon. I mean she's definitely shaggable, but not much more than that. Besides, half the school has had her already, so that doesn't mean anything anyways. She's always getting on me for the pettiest things—"

"I didn't know you thought of me like that."

The soft, derisive voice behind him cut Sirius short. "McKinnon," he managed, spinning around.

She smirked. To be honest, she was grateful that his back had been to her and Lily when they'd come down the stairs. James had played the part of the smitten boyfriend, tuning out whatever his friend had been saying when his vision appeared on the stairs. He'd breathed her name, completely transfixed, and Marlene had smiled softly to herself, not wanting to break their moment. Apparently Black had no such qualms, and he continued prattling on even as James tuned him out. Fortunately or unfortunately, McKinnon had heard what James had not.

"…_she's definitely shaggable…"_

Oh she'd heard the rest of what he'd said too, but this was the gem. This was what she could torture him with for the duration of the day. As for the rest of what he'd said, well it was nothing he hadn't told her before. Still, she tried not to dwell on the fact that he still believed that outside the heat of their arguments. But the moments with his back to her had given her enough time to carefully package that emotion—whatever it was, if it even was such—away, and arrange her expression. The shock on his face had been well worth it.

He was working on schooling his features and he saw that his struggle was apparent to her, amusing her even. "Give a man a warning," he hissed at James who wasn't listening. He had no choice but to bring his attention to the petite blonde in front of him as she laughed.

"Oh I wouldn't expect much of a reaction from the two of them for the rest of the day." Just as she said it, James leaned close to Lily and whispered something; the redhead blushed. "Case in point," Marlene said calmly, looking back at Sirius.

"So I'll be left with your charming company."

She grinned cheekily and arched an eyebrow suggestively. "My _shaggable_ company?"

"Come off it, McKinnon, you know I was just making a point," he growled, upset that she had gained the upper hand so quickly.

She smirked. "Now now, Black, behave," she chided, "We can't have you making a scene, putting on a show."

"You wish," he shot back icily, reveling in the look of surprise on her face. But to _his_ surprise, her eyes widened a moment before her hand shot to her mouth to stop a giggle that threatened to burst out. Just as quickly, she gave up and her shoulders shook with her laughter.

She smiled up at him, laughter shining out of her eyes. "Oh…Oh, you think that I would actually _want_—" She collapsed in another wave of giggles, watching through her lashes as he drew himself up when the slight registered. She saw Lily and James look their way and she made a show of fanning herself with her hands to stop the laughter. She sighed exaggeratedly and smiled at the two of them.

"You know, Lily, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all; this will be a most interesting day," she sang, ignoring the way that Lily's eyes narrowed in warning, begging her to not go further. "And James, I see why you keep him around," she looked between an apprehensive James and a seething Sirius and fixed her mouth into a slight pout "He's just adorable."

"Marlene…" Lily's voice was a warning that she couldn't ignore. Pursing her lips, she nodded slightly, acquiescing. _Besides, that went well enough; no need for an encore…just yet._ She waited for Lily and James to return their attention to each other before offering a satisfied half-smile to Black. He could do what he wanted with it.

Sirius wanted nothing more than to call her every foul name he could think of, hex her into oblivion for condescending to him. He was Sirius Black. Girls threw themselves constantly, incessantly. Adorable was _never_ the word he brought to mind. Who was _she_ to… But no, that's what she wanted. He knew she could read him, knew it all too well every time they fought. He didn't doubt she could probably narrate his current inner diatribe. He didn't pause to think about why he let that bother him. Right now, she'd be waiting for the floodgates to open. Even now she arched an eyebrow, considering him. He'd hardly give her that satisfaction.

"That's me," he said smoothly; there was nothing in the tone of his voice to raise alarms with the other enraptured couple. "_Adorable_ to a fault. I grow more endearing with each encounter."

He watched the light behind her eyes snuff out; the little witch had been looking for a fight. He could give her one—as he had so often in the past—but today his game was simpler. She would stop at nothing to get under his skin, he knew that. And he would do everything in his power to keep her out.

"Hogsmeade, Miss McKinnon?" he asked cordially, offering her his arm, knowing it would put her off if she didn't think her barbs got through to him.

Her eyes narrowed at his question, searching his face. _Okay, Black, what are you trying here. _But she felt her best friend's eyes on her.She tilted her head and stepped up next to him, placing her hand in the crook of his arm. "Hogsmeade, Mr. Black," she responded in a tone that mirrored his.

As they preceded Lily and James out of Gryffindor tower and joined the students thronging outside, Marlene pursed her lips. _I imagined it. That has to be it. There's no way…_She snuck a look sideways at Black and his face was blank, determinedly so. She looked away quickly. So wrapped up in thought was she that she didn't notice the younger students tittering all around them, pointing at the two of them. All she could think about was that moment she knew she must have imagined: the shock of heat and energy that had shot through her when her hand rested against Sirius' arm.


End file.
